Last week I tried to buy a pair of socks online. Just socks. Nothing fancy, not some artisanal, hand-loomed blend of cashmere and moonlight. Just regular socks for my regular, probably-too-cold feet. And what started as a one-click, two-minute errand turned into a ten-step odyssey that left me questioning not just my commitment to socks but also the entire state of digital commerce in 2025.
Here’s the thing: online shopping is supposed to be easier. That was the whole point. No parking lots. No weird dressing room lighting. No fighting with a tangled web of hangers. But somewhere along the way, we started adding steps. And more steps. And then a few more, just in case.
There’s now a password to remember, an account to create, three pages of shipping preferences, five payment options (none of which are your preferred one), and a tiny progress bar that gaslights you into thinking you’re almost done, until you realize you’re not.
And apparently, I’m not alone.
The 87 Percent Problem
You know what’s wild? According to some researchers (and yes, I double-checked this number like a millennial who once got burned by a headline that said “Bananas Cure Cancer”), 87 percent of shoppers will abandon their cart if the checkout process is too complicated. That’s not just a strong majority. That’s a full-blown checkout revolt.
People don’t want to be forced to make an account just to buy one candle. Or worse: to be mid-purchase and get yeeted to a third-party site to “securely” enter your payment info, even though the page looks like it was built in 2007 and you’re 80 percent sure it’s trying to steal your identity.
The takeaway? Complexity kills sales. Simplicity converts.
The “One-Stop” Checkout Fantasy
One of the most effective ways a business can reduce cart abandonment is by keeping people on their site during the payment process. That means building or embedding payment systems directly into your site so that customers don’t have to hopscotch over to another window.
Developers call this “on-site payment processing,” and yes, there are things like a credit card payment api and all kinds of nerdy things behind the curtain that make it work. But for customers, it’s a breath of fresh air. It’s a straight path, not a scavenger hunt. It’s socks in one click.
Don’t Make Me Make an Account
Here’s the deal: if I’ve never shopped with you before and I just want to buy a thing, I don’t want to spend 10 minutes creating a password I’ll forget or picking a security question like “What’s your favorite color?” (Spoiler: I change it weekly.)
Yes, there are business reasons to collect customer data and yes, it’s great when people come back. But nothing says “We don’t trust you” like demanding a loyalty oath before checkout. Instead, make account creation optional. Even better, let it happen after the purchase is done. Like a post-coffee “Want to stay in touch?” rather than a pre-date “What’s your mother’s maiden name?”
Smart businesses now allow you to check a box to save your info for next time or to create an account retroactively. It’s polite. It’s considerate. It’s the digital version of holding the door open instead of slamming it in someone’s face.
Options Are Everything
If you’ve ever tried to pay for something and been told, “Sorry, we only accept obscure credit cards and ancient forms of barter,” you’ve felt the sting of poor payment diversity.
Modern shoppers want choices. Apple Pay. Google Pay. Venmo. Klarna. Heck, maybe even dogecoin, depending on your clientele. And yes, this can feel like overkill from the business end of things—but offering multiple options can be the difference between a completed sale and a tab that gets closed forever.
Give people what makes them feel safest. And trust me, the phrase “I don’t have my wallet but my phone is right here” is more common than you think.
Show Me the Progress Bar (But Don’t Lie)
Okay, here’s where I get petty. You know those progress bars at the top of checkout pages that promise “3 steps” and then suddenly you’re on step five? I hate those. We all hate those.
But when they’re honest? When they actually show you that you’re 75 percent done and you actually are 75 percent done? That’s when using checkout progress bars can be magic. It’s like seeing the finish line in a long run—you get that final boost of energy to make it through.
For businesses with necessary multi-step checkouts (subscriptions, complex shipping, custom orders) a progress indicator is a kindness. It respects your time. It lets you plan. It reduces anxiety. And let’s be honest: in the year of our algorithm 2025, anything that reduces online anxiety deserves a medal.
Let’s Call It What It Is: Customer Fatigue
At the core of all of this is a very human truth: we are tired. Parents ordering birthday gifts after bedtime. College students panic-buying notebooks the night before class. Millennials just trying to get their collagen powder before they’re out. No one wants to climb a mountain of menus to get what they need.
We want the checkout process to feel like we’re buying a coffee at our regular spot. Familiar. Fast. Not a test of our cognitive agility.
What This Means If You Run a Store
If you’re a small business or run an online shop (maybe one you started during the pandemic as a side hustle that’s now your main hustle (hey, I see you), here’s what matters:
- Make checkout quick. The fewer clicks, the better.
- Offer as many payment options as you can reasonably support.
- Let people buy things without demanding a commitment.
- Add progress bars, and be honest about what “step two of three” actually means.
- Keep people on your site—don’t redirect them to an abyss of third-party processors.
And remember: your checkout page is your goodbye moment. It’s your “Thanks for coming in” wave. Make it smooth, make it warm, make it make people want to come back.
Because maybe next time, someone like me will need socks again. And they’ll remember how easy it was with you.
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